


"Mutualism" by Venom

by duckmoles



Category: Venom (Movie 2018)
Genre: Epistolary, Fluff, Future Fic, Gen, M/M, Mild Worldbuilding, Multimedia, Other, POV Outsider, Social Media, Venom's Opal Eyes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-17
Updated: 2018-11-24
Packaged: 2019-08-25 00:21:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,964
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16650712
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/duckmoles/pseuds/duckmoles
Summary: Mutualismby Venom comes out this Tuesday.(In which Eddie and the symbiote write a book, and everyone else proceeds to freak out.)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> thanks to the symbrock discord server for constant inspiration, [cassowarykisses](https://archiveofourown.org/users/cassowarykisses/pseuds/cassowarykisses) for the title of Venom's book, and [this work](https://archiveofourown.org/works/5191202/chapters/11961779) for help with formatting.  
> <3 <3 <3  
> Also, all the usernames in this fic are meant to be fake. If I accidentally used a real one, I'd love to know. One of the links, however, is real :)

“Mutualism” Is About Aliens, But Also Love    
By Daniel Lopez

_Mutualism_ is one of the stranger books to come out this year, but it manages to distill the essence of humanity into 350 pages that read more like 10. Part memoir, part self-improvement book, and part nonfiction science thriller, it juggles its genres deftly and with a genuine passion and affection for its subject – and that is no small coincidence.

Even before turning a single page, the author name “Venom” emblazons the cover in a bright red font on the dark background. Some may wonder at the choice of pen name, but upon reading the introduction, the reason is clear – its authors are reporter Eddie Brock and his symbiote partner, jointly dubbed as “Venom.”

Throughout the book, Venom goes into morbid detail their first meeting and the subsequent blossoming of their relationship. No detail is left out, even if said detail is enough to push the book firmly away from the child-friendly bookshelf. Despite the often gruesome prose, Venom infuses each word with a sense of warmth and genuine care that had both me and my partner of nine years unable to suppress our audible “aww” as the couple recalled their first date.

Because at the very core of it, _Mutualism_ is a book about relationships and what we can stand to learn from one that quite literally has both partners in each other’s heads. It’s definitely a book I’ll be coming back to even years in the future.

_Mutualism_ by Venom comes out this Tuesday.

 

 

 

Venom Watch @venomwatch  
Venom spotted on the south side of the Golden Gate Bridge. #venomwatch

Eddie Plus One @venom  
@venomwatch Can’t a man show his partner the sights without being stalked?

Sarah @sarashsnotes  
replying to  @venom ur book changed my life omg

marco polo @mark2222339  
replying to @venom the symbiote should be used for the good of the people instead of hoarded by one person

Benjamin Smith @bensmith69  
replying to  @venom WE KNOW YOURE PLANS FOR WORLD DOMINATION

Kermit says so @humanismgonewild  
replying to  @venom venom singlehandedly ended homophobia

Anne Weying @weyingatlaw  
replying to  @venom The sunset’s gorgeous from there!

Eddie Plus One @venom  
replying to  @weyingatlaw And it’s ten times better watching it together ❤️ 

 

 

 

Eddie Brock Talks “Mutualism”  
By Samantha Chu

The recent release _Mutualism_ has the entire world abuzz on aliens and the symbiotes. We sit down with co-author Eddie Brock to discuss his book.

**So let’s talk about the elephant in the room.**

**BROCK** : I showered this morning!

**[laughing] No, no, Mr. Brock, your symbiote.**

**BROCK** : Yeah, of course. Say hi, V.

**VENOM** : Hello.

**Oh! He’s here.**

**BROCK** : Yeah, he’s always with me. He’s not used to the crowd, though, which is why he doesn’t usually do these things. But he's still here. 

**Doesn’t that get a little tough? I get annoyed when my cousin visits for a day.**

**BROCK** : Not really. As we say in the book, what we have is a lot different than sharing an apartment, though we do that too.

**Your relationship is certainly strange. How’d you two meet?**

**BROCK** : Well, we do cover this, but it’s not exactly any kind of meet-cute. We didn't meet when we were at a library and our hands brushed briefly when we both bent down to pick up some dropped books. We didn't meet at our high school reunion after 10 years to find that we're both still madly in love with each other. No, it uh, it involves a lot more espionage and some iffy business with the late Carlton Drake - the billionaire? We’re just glad we’re together now.

**Did you expect your book to be this popular?**

**BROCK** : We’d hoped. We’ve been public for a while now, but we felt like there were a lot of things on the record that we had to correct, especially with that business with the Klyntar coming to earth a few months back. V was especially concerned that people would think badly of us.

**And that’s why you chose to publish now?**

**BROCK** : It’s funny, because we’ve basically had this whole thing written up for a while, but there’s never been a right time to publish it. But V was getting impatient. So we took the plunge. [chuckling] I guess you can call me kinda whipped, but then again, V would say the same thing.

**You compare your relationship to that of a married couple several times in the book. Are you hoping you change some minds on marriage legislation in regards to aliens?**

**BROCK** : I was almost married once, before my other came along. We were happy, but things just didn't work out - well. I say that, but I made a pretty major mistake that we couldn't really walk away from. That's the thing about relationships, I think. It's really a give and take, and if either you or your partner aren't on the same page about - about something as major as the thing we fought over, then the best thing to do is probably just to break it off. It's not like me and my other don't fight, that is. We fight all the time - whether or not we should eat junk food, what movie we want to watch, where we're going tonight for dinner - but we agree on the big stuff. We said as much in the book, but uh, Venom’s actually the one that proposed the idea of, uh, marriage to me. Pun unintended. And I thought, we’re married in all the ways that count, anyway. I know some other places have laws about it, but it’d be nice to be legally together on Earth. It’s not our main priority though.

**What would you say is your main priority?**

**BROCK** : Right now? V would love a bar of chocolate. And I'd like a long hot bath. In terms of long term, well, that’s harder to say. We’re probably gonna stick to journalism, but V’s got an itch for writing books now. We want to try fiction next, maybe a cute romance novel. Not that [laughing] this one isn't a romance novel. We’ll see how that goes, I guess.

NEWSDAILY.COM

 

 

 

**rambogoesdambo**  
i can’t believe eddie brock publicly admitted to fucking an alien #xenofuckingrights

**canada-shot-first**  
he never explicitly says so

**rambogoesdambo**  
and i never explicitly said dumbasses could reblog and yet here you are

Source: rambogoesdambo  
**57 notes**

 

 

 

### Excerpted from _The Encyclopedia of Galactic Species_ , First Edition, published by the Kree-Terra Alliance, edited by Taneleer Tivan with additions from Peter Quill and Anthony Stark

 **Klyntar**  
The Klyntar, better known as Symbiotes, are an inorganic, amorphous species created by Knull that originate on a planet of the same name. The Klyntar use their hivemind to sense what they call the “voice” of the universe, creating the Agents of the Cosmos as a space protection agency. Klyntar are most well known for their symbiosis ability, bonding with hosts and enhancing the host’s natural abilities. However, when bonded to a host of malevolent intent, Klyntar can be corrupted from their natural state, often consuming the host with it. Klyntar stayed obscure until the the Venom Symbiote, bonded to human host Edward Brock, became active on Earth, moving throughout the Milky Way Galaxy and into the Andromeda Galaxy. Notable Klyntar include: All-Black, Venom. See category: Superhero

 

 

 

FIVE SUPERHEROES YOU DIDN’T KNOW WERE STILL ALIVE  
By LOLNews

**5\. CAPTAIN AMERICA**  
Captain America is one of the first superheroes that came onto the scene, even while disappearing for a while in the mid-20th century, but thanks to his super soldier serum, he’ll probably stay on the scene for a long time. He's fought in most of the major world battles: WWII, the Chitauri Invasion, Thanos, the Kree-Skrull War, etc. You name it, the good Captain is there, fighting for humanity's freedom! And look out ladies, it seems he’s still single!

(click to show next slide)

**4\. VENOM**  
Thanks to extraterrestrial interference in the form of the symbiote, one-half of the pair that makes up Venom, the pair has been fighting crime for decades with no sign of stopping. While fighting crime discreetly for almost half a decade, Venom came into the limelight after a brawl with Spider-Man, branding themselves as villains until the Klyntar Invasion came to Earth. The publication of the tell-all book Mutualism propelled the duo into the spotlight. Unfortunately, the spotlight never seems to stay long on this hunk, but keep an eye out!

(click to show next slide)

 

 

 

Movie News @reviewsmoviesweekly  
Venom Bio-Pic Tops the Box Office to Critics’ Dismay #VenomMovie https://bit.ly/4THjoP5

Eddie Plus One @venom  
Well, our first meeting wasn’t quite that romantic. #VenomMovie

 

 

 

### Excerpted from _I Am Peter Parker_ by Peter Parker

I met Eddie Brock four years after I met Venom, at a fundraiser Tony Stark was throwing to raise money for the Maria Stark Foundation. At that time, neither of our identities had been revealed to the public, and so I was just a lab assistant moonlighting as a photographer and he was just a washed-up journalist.

When I first saw Eddie, I wasn’t sure what to make of him. He wore a leather jacket and jeans that seemed plastered onto his body – what I now realize was his symbiote acting as clothes for him – and so when I politely introduced myself, there was no expecting what he’d say.

“Parker?” he said. “I’ve seen your work.” He seemed genuinely impressed, something I wasn’t used to at the time. He was gruffer than I expected, as uncomfortable as I was at the event.

“Yeah,” I stuttered.

He paused for a second, as if listening to a sound no one else could hear. “Have I met you before?” he asked. “Your… face looks very familiar.”

I nearly panicked. “I have that kind of face, you know? I look like a lot of people,” I replied, trying to keep my voice steady. There was no way that Eddie Brock knew I was Spider-Man when I was sure I’ve never even met him.  

Eddie nodded. “Maybe,” he said. “You do have that kinda face.” His words this time weren’t directed at me. At the time, I really did think that he was just talking to himself; journalists, as a rule, are generally odd, and it wasn’t hard to just dismiss it as another joke. 

He was pretty polite for the rest of the night, even if he kept to himself, though I did find it strange how he wasn't shaking hands and introducing himself like most of the other journalists were. 

Eddie turned out to be one of the first of us to reveal himself to the public. I’ll never understand how he had the guts to do it, except for the fact that there was a symbiote rearranging his guts the whole time.

 

 

 

### Email Record Archived By Professor Ross E. Jameson

 **To** : riotsuxx@camomail.com  
**From** : gDaq4Kp3aeWRb4@starkindustries.com  
**Subject** : [NO SUBJECT]

It’s tough coming out in the way you did, and you didn’t even have decades of experience in the limelight. Need any legal assistance?

 

 **To** : gDaq4Kp3aeWRb4@starkindustries.com  
**From** : riotsuxx@camomail.com  
**Subject** : Re: [NO SUBJECT]

As long as they don’t look too closely into our eating habits, we think we’re good. V says he'd love for you to give us a taste, though. Or at least let us join the team. 

 

 **To:** riotsuxx@camomail.com  
**From** : gDaq4Kp3aeWRb4@starkindustries.com  
**Subject:** Re: Re: [NO SUBJECT]

Keep dreaming, pal.

 

 

 

Headless gang members found floating in Napa River  
posted 3 hours ago by margie3451

PM_ME_UR_PROM_PICS 40 points 3 hours ago  
It was Venom.

> stickmandick 3 points 3 hours ago  
>  nyti.ms/28FjP5n You can’t just go around wildly accusing people of things they never admitted to doing.
>
>> PM_ME_UR_PROM_PICS 1 point 2 hours ago  
>  Have you not read his book, it’s basically a written confession to murder.

> dirty_fourty 1 point 1 hour ago  
>  https://tinyurl.com/4poyc6x

> alt_correct 1 point 2 hours ago  
>  y’all are crazy lmao

 

 

 

### Excerpted from _The Little Green Men: From Conspiracy to Reality_ by Richard Reads

In the years after the existence of aliens was revealed to the general public, the popular view of aliens rapidly shifted from the hulking beasts out for blood featured in the likes of _Alien_ and _Predator,_ both exploring the horrifying aspects of otherworldly contact, to a fascination of the humdrum daily lives of the extraterrestrials already among us. Spurned on in part by the “space tourism” movement, it was among the best interests of the popular media-making industry to support such works that provided insight into alien culture.

The popularity of Thor, an Asgardian that became one of the founding members of the Avengers team, was the first to provide an ironic “humanizing” effect to aliens. However, his popularity waned and waxed with that of the team that he was attached to. Followed by the publishing of _Among the Stars_ , a memoir by Peter Jason Quill on being raised by a group of traveling alien bandits at a young age, aliens became less “alien” and more a distinct separate culture that could be studied. Prior to Quill's memoir, aliens were still rare in the public consciousness, either put on a pedestal, as in the case of the numerous Asgardian churches that sprung up after Thor, or reviled.

Sociologist Andrew Burns noted that “in the case of exposure to outside culture, humanity tends to shy away from what they perceive as the ‘other.’ The entire extraterrestrial phenomenon is unprecedented in its scope and speed.”

A surprising smash hit was Venom’s _Mutualism,_ though it came later in the first wave of pro-extraterrestrial media, topping over a million sales in its first week after publishing and subsequent media attention ballooning those numbers further out to nearly 200 million in its next 10 years. While Peter Quill’s works were the first to expose the public to human-xeno relationships, _Mutualism_ was pivotal in expanding the definition of “relationship” beyond _Homo sapiens_.

 

 

 

### Excerpted from _Mutualism_ by Venom

Let me tell you the unvarnished truth: If it weren’t for my other, I would be rotting at the bottom of the San Francisco Bay. Fish would have long eaten my dead corpse, I wouldn’t even get an obituary in the newspaper, and the only people that would show up to my funeral would be Annie and Dan.

But I’m not. I’m sitting here, my computer warming up my lap, Venom curled around me eating leftover Halloween candy and looking over my shoulder as I type. There’s two cups of hot chocolate on the table next to us, one for me and one for him, though I know that he'll end up drinking my portion as well. It’s domestic in a way that I never expected, even when I was with my fiancée and preparing to get married. This time, we figure we don't need a fancy certificate to be together. I can smell the scent of the cookies we’re baking wafting out from the oven, hear the steady hum of San Francisco traffic.

This morning, we walked the streets, people-watching as we talked about reality television. We wandered through a park, where my other almost ate a squirrel when we got startled and where we got to pet a dog. Venom is enamored by the idea of having a pet and asked me if we could get one – a dog, a cat, a hamster, it doesn’t matter to him. We’ve been having this argument on and off for over a year now, with no end in sight (Venom will probably win out eventually).

Annie once told me that I’m the loneliest person in a jam-packed room. But that’s the thing about us: everything we do, we do with each other. I can’t remember the last time I felt alone.

Venom tells me our cookies are done baking, that we better hurry if we want to get them hot out of the oven while they’re still soft and gooey. We’re going to go and eat them, together.  


	2. BONUS

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a fun lil extra thing I wrote up!

Venom’s Enduring Love  
By Andi Thompson

When I step into Venom’s third floor San Francisco apartment – “We’re not worried about security,” Eddie Brock says to me with a smile that’s nothing but teeth – I’m surprised by how shabby the place seems to be. The television hasn’t been updated since the late 2010s, the couch is faded with wear and old stains, and there’s a pile of old newspapers by the coffee table dating back all the way to 1999. Brock himself wears a black sweatshirt that I can only assume is Venom himself, with fraying grey sweatpants and an overgrown five o’clock shadow.

But of course, I probably shouldn’t be surprised. Ever since Venom made their first public appearance fighting Spider-Man, they never exactly were the type to revel in the spotlight. Even after they released _Mutualism_ , which won a National Book Award the year it released, the pair seemed content to stay in the background, avoiding public appearances save for superhero work and their acceptance of a Pulitzer for investigative journalism. But still, it’s hard to reconcile a superhero that’s been active for decades on end with the man-symbiote hybrid making coffee (out of actual coffee beans!) for me.

I watch in fascination as the pair work in tandem: Brock cursing as he tries to get the 2020s era Stark branded coffee machine to work; the Venom symbiote, black tendrils curling out from Brock’s sweatshirt, fetching the beans.

“I got this damn thing from Stark ages ago,” Brock explains as he fiddles with the buttons. Venom patiently waits beside him. “After the, uh, whole book business, we wheedled him to let us join the team, but he sent me this coffee machine instead. Nearly as good, we say.”

The Stark he’s referring to is, of course, the late Tony Stark, one of the founders of the original Avengers team and the first Iron Man. It’s strange to think that a man who doesn’t look more than a few years older than me was able to witness – and participate in – the rise and fall of the first superhero age. The man whose face I’ve seen in history books countless times sits in front of me, lazily petting his symbiote partner and scratching at his chin.

Brock pauses, head cocking. “Yes, love, remember, we went to his funeral a while back?”

Throughout our conversation, there’s always a third member that I can’t quite be completely privy to. “Venom is shy around new people,” Brock says after we sit down around his table, coffee in hand. Venom gets a cup of hot chocolate that he curls around. Venom’s face manifests: bright, opalescent eyes that shift in color with the changing light, rows of dozens of sharp teeth, and a long pink tongue that flicks out to sip at the hot chocolate.

Despite their relaxed posture - Brock leans back into his chair as he talks and Venom wraps around his fingers and neck absentmindedly - there’s an aura of confidence and self-assuredness around them that they can’t shake, no matter how Brock exaggerates his drawl or insists to me that “We never really wanted to be such a big deal.”

“When we first got together, we didn’t know what we were together,” Brock says. “We still don’t. But I think all these decades have been good for something. We’ve figured it out.”

Even when he talks to me, his eyes are still trained on Venom, who I presume has been whispering in his ear the entire time we’ve been talking.

Despite the public attention the Venom relationship has gotten, symbiote-human relationships are still fraught. There have been only 5 registered marriages for symbiotes and humans, Brock and his partner among them, since the passage of the Marriage Equality and Freedoms Act over thirty years ago. While the number of humans that have reported to have been in an alien relationship has risen to just shy of 50%, the symbiotes remain a muddied area, in part thanks to the early Klyntar Invasion and the later Knull Incident.

After we finish our coffee, Brock offers to show me around their favorite haunts around San Francisco, which I agree to after Venom, speaking out loud for the first time that day, says, “Our city, Eddie.”

Brock smiles indulgently and replies, “Of course, my love.”

For a moment, it seems I’ve been forgotten as the pair look at each other. Then Brock turns back to me and says, “The city’s changed a lot these days, and we don’t spend nearly as much time as we should on Earth, but we can’t help but love it.”

Eddie Brock isn’t nearly as recognizable as when they are Venom together, but he still gets stopped in the street as we walk. He’s gracious to each of his admirers, and when asked as to where the symbiote is, he gives a wink. From where I stand, I can see the Venom symbiote curled around Brock’s hand as they thank the aging Kree-Skrull War veteran, give advice to the young mixed Xandarian-human girl, coo over the puppies we meet in the street. Venom tempers his appearances here, restricting the number of teeth he manifests and keeping his form small.

When I observe how good they are with them, Brock smiles wryly.

“We weren’t always,” he says.

“Would scare them away at first,” Venom chimes in. Venom seems more talkative now, as we sit on a bench overlooking the San Francisco Bay.

Brock nods. “It’s just one of those things, he says, shrugging.

“Better, now,” Venom says.

When they talk together, they tend to talk as one, finishing each other’s thoughts and talking for each other with no complaints. Whether a side effect of being together for so long or the symbiosis - or both - I can’t say.

They recount the dozen or so major battles they fought here, each filling in details the other misses.

“No, no, Cap was there!” Brock says.

“You’re confusing him with America Chavez,” Venom insists. “Idiot.” The word, though insulting, comes out as a purr, a warm affectionate pet name as eponymous as Brock’s use of “love” and “darling.”

Despite their relative obscurity, the pair has not been able to avoid the inevitable controversies that plague any public figure. In the aftermath of _Mutualism_ , several cases came to light in which Venom was accused of cannibalism. They also drew criticism from their refusal to advocate xeno-human marriage further than the two brief interviews and the three paragraphs they dedicate to the topic in their book.

“People are right,” Brock says. “We do regret not being more vocal.” He sighs. “But we can’t change the past, not much more than we can predict the future.”

“Better now,” Venom says again.

As the sun sets, the pair grows quiet, taking in the sight of the oranges and purples dotting the horizon. Venom envelops Brock’s head - “So we can look at the sunset together.”

I wonder what it’s like, being so close you’re literally in each other’s heads.

“There’s nothing like it,” Brock and Venom say together, still facing the sunset, the fading sunlight carving shadows into their face. Some primitive part of my brain insists that they should look grotesque together, but I can’t feel anything except safe, even after just getting to know them for a single day.

How do they do it, I ask later, before I leave.

Brock looks at Venom, eyes shining with something perhaps only 4 other people understand. Venom curls tighter around Brock’s arm.

“We take it one day at a time,” Brock says. “And though our relationship has certainly changed throughout the years - how can it not, really - we decided, a long time ago, that we’d do things -“

“Together,” Venom finishes.

FOR A FULL TRANSCRIPT OF THOMPSON’S INTERVIEW, CLICK HERE. FOR MORE OF THOMPSON’S WORK, CLICK HERE. 


End file.
